The Siege of Mackindaw
by 8trustthecloak8
Summary: A while after the events of Nihon-Ja... The adventures are only just beginning. Will and Alyss have settled down after their marriage when Will is suddenly forced away on a dangerous mission with ties to his past. When something goes horribly wrong, no one seems to be able to help him... Except Alyss. Follow her on her journey to save Will.
1. Chapter 1

A lone rider entered the gates of Redmont fief in the late hours of the afternoon, when the sun was just starting to set. As he reached the front gate that lead to the upper town of Redmont that extended as a wall around the castle itself, the guards could make out the emblem of Seacliff Fief on his shirt. He seemed exhausted, and the horse he was riding had foamy sides and was breathing heavily, its head drooping. Normally the messengers from Seacliff rode in slowly and comfortably, with nothing unusual or fabulous to report, and due to the fact that this rider was the complete opposite, the guards let him through without a word. He proceeded to trot up the sloping cobble stones, oblivious to the smell of the market food and the cold autumn air and the many villagers who glanced up from their work as he passed. He rode straight up the hill until he reached the castle entrance and rode through without even a nod to the second guard duty. He reached the main castle courtyard and heaved himself painfully off his horse and limped hurriedly up the stairwell that lead to the Baron's office. The on-lookers watched him, but then dismissed him from their minds and went back to their work.

A sound. Small, faint and far off. But it was definitely there. The sound of a galloping horse was unmistakable. Will's subconscious had spent years learning to recognize and tune out the sounds of the forest at night, and only just recently, Alyss's breathing, who lay next to him in bed. He and Alyss both were presently living in Will's old cabin just outside of Redmont. But as soon as his brain registered that it was indeed a horse and rider, Will's eyes flicked open, but he kept his body relaxed and his breathing steady and soft so as not to startle Alyss. He carefully and silently rose to his elbows on the bed and slipped his feet out from under the blankets and into his boots on the floor, then he slid out from under the covers and smoothed them down, so that none of Alyss's body heat escaped. He padded soundlessly over their bedroom threshold and into the main room of the cabin, where his knives lay in their double scabbards on the table. He slipped the belt around his waist and secured it tightly over the trousers and loose shirt he wore as sleeping clothes, and made his way to the door. He stood right next to the door so that he would be ready whenever the mysterious rider came by. By the sound of it the rider was crunching through the fallen leaves all over the lawn that surrounded the clearing around the cabin. Will heard the rider enter the yard and reign in his horse, and dismounting as he did so. He must be in a hurry, Will thought. He heard a snort from Tug in the stable. It was a warning that someone was coming, but not an alert.

He heard movement from the bedroom and saw that Alyss had gotten out of bed and wrapped a robe around her night gown. She was now creeping quietly towards him, her long Courier's knife held in her hand. Will signaled for her to stay behind him and he leaned against the thick wooden door. Will could tell he was a man from the weight of his footsteps on the deck outside his cabin, and he was definitely not a Ranger, not after the ruckus he made entering the clearing. The man's footsteps reached the door and a few hurried knocks announced his presence formally, although how should he know that everyone in the little cabin was awake and waiting with knives? Yet another confirmation that this man is definitely not a Ranger, thought Will.

After their wedding, Will had been hesitant to move into the castle, and Alyss had gladly moved into the small but cozy cabin with Will, understanding his discomfort at breaking the Ranger tradition of living outside of the castle to maintain the understanding that the Rangers were not under the direct control of the Baron. Now they both lived there comfortably, and normally it was a peaceful and relaxing place, except when there was an intruder outside the door.

Will finally clicked open the latch on the door and opened it to reveal a man at arms from Redmont castle.

"Er, uhm, Ranger Will! Lady Alyss! I - I did not expect you to be awake..." he stuttered, surprised to see both people awake and alert at 1 in the morning.

"Well, when someone comes crunching through the leaves and stomping up the porch steps and practically banging down the door, one does tend to wake up, " Will said dryly. "What on earth can be so urgent as to wake myself and my wife up at this hour of the morning?"

Suddenly aware of the knives both of the people facing him were holding, the man-at-arms hurried on nervously, "The B-Baron says he needs you at the castle. Says its ur-urgent."

Will sighed, and the man-at-arms shifted back and forth uncomfortably. "Please return to the castle and tell the Baron that I will be arriving shortly, and the Lady Alyss is coming with me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." The man-at-arms gave a little bow to Alyss and then to Will, and then slumped off the porch and ran to his horse, and galloped away.

"Well, that was sudden," Alyss muttered.

"Yes, it was. I'm sorry for waking you up, I tried to be quiet," Will turned to Alyss and gave a small smile. "But I did understand correctly that you will be coming with me, right? Because you can always stay here if you're too tired..."

"No, Will, of course I'm not too tired. Just give me a moment to dress and I'll be right back. And I also suggest that you put at least your cloak on." Will looked down and was suddenly self-conscious as he realized that his shirt was very thin and wide open at the neck revealing much of his torso to the chill night air.

"Yes, I think I rather agree."

Will and Alyss rode up to the courtyard of Castle Redmont, and put their horses in the stables. They then proceeded straight up to the Baron's quarters. Some guards recognized him and directed him and Alyss to the main meeting room, where, upon entering, they saw that Halt, Pauline, King Duncan, Evanlyn, and Crowley were already there. They seemed to be the last to arrive. Everyone in the room seemed unnaturally jittery and restless, and they all looked up suddenly as Will and Alyss entered. They both bowed to the King, who nodded in acknowledgement. Halt immediately stood and gestured to two chairs next to him.

"Take a seat, Will. You too, Alyss." They both did as Halt said, glancing at each other and exchanging meaningful looks as they did so.

They all sat there for perhaps a full second in a curious and unsettled silence until the King rose and looked over everyone, blinked once and began. "I expect you are all wondering what in the world could be so important to wake up all of you at some crazy hour of the night, especially you, Will, and you Alyss, considering that you had to travel to get here. First off, I do apologize for that. But as you all have probably guessed, we are not here for apologies. On to the important news." The King to a deep breath, then continued a little stoically, "We have received an alert that the Scotti are planning to invade Araluen."

Everyone was quiet for a moment in complete shock and near disbelief, and then the princess, impulsive as she was, expressed her feelings.

"Are you serious? Dad! Why didn't you tell me about it sooner?" Evanlyn exclaimed. The King raised an eyebrow at her, and she fell silent, muttering things under her breath.

"But they were stoppered up..." Alyss murmured mildly to herself, in contrast to Evanlyn's outburst.

"My lord... Are you certain? I did just barely halt an invasion in that area very recently." Will said disbelievingly.

"Again? Didn't we just get rid of them?" Crowley muttered irritably.

"Hmmm... " was all Halt had to say as he thought through every possible situation and how this could have happened.

Only Lady Pauline was silent, but she seemed to be thinking as well.

"Alright, alright, now that you've gotten your excitement out could you just listen up?" the King had to raise his voice over the chatter. Once everyone had quieted down, he continued. "Yes, I completely agree with all of you. That was my first reaction as well. A rider from Seacliff came in yesterday evening with the news."

"Seacliff again?" Will raised his eyebrows. "That fief is just the perfect target for invasions, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's the most efficient way for the Scotti to enter Araluen. The messenger had a written letter from the Baron and the Ranger there, Liam."

"I hope that you will be reading and showing us these letters," Halt said, raising his eyebrows at the King.

"Of course." The King nodded to Halt,and then withdrew two letters from his sleeves, one on fine white paper, and one on thick yellowed paper. He read the white papered letter first."'There is nothing much to say in this letter, because all the information you need is in the other letter. Please show this to Ranger Will immediately. I know that he has had dealings with these people before. He saved my fief once, I know he can do it again.'" The King solemnly closed the paper. "That's it."

Everyone glanced at Will, who was as nonplussed as they were. "Well, let's hear the other letter," he said quietly. Everyone's eyes turned and became riveted on the King. The briefness and urgency of the Baron's letter had instilled in them just how serious this really was, and everyone wanted to hear the real information and understand what they were dealing with.

The King cleared his throat and began to read. "Liam, Ranger 21, of Seacliff Fief: A Message for His Majesty King Duncan and Ranger Will Treaty. I have been scouting around the forest on the border of Seacliff and Scotti with the regular patrols just to check up on things, as Ranger Halt and Commandant Crowley suggested I do. Nothing has been happening for years, until now. The Scotti have a camp set up just north of the border, and a large group of men are gathering there. It can't be for any reason other than to invade Seacliff Fief and, by extension, Araluen as a whole. I already have scouted out their camp, and I barely escaped with my life. They know how to set up tough scouting perimeters to keep away spying eyes, no matter how skilled or clever. I was not able to penetrate their perimeter, and I lost my north seeker in the chase, so I am regrettably unable to give you an exact position of the camp, but it shouldn't be hard to find. I have included general landmarks on a separate document that should ease you on your way to finding it speedily. The leader of the camp is General MacHaddish. I know that Ranger Will has dealt with him before. He used to be locked up in the prison in Norgate, but a small party of Scotti stormed the prison blocks and broke MacHaddish out sometime ago, and he is free and aiding the war camp with preparations, which, as I understand it, are nearly complete. We are in need of some reinforcements if we are going to let them try to invade, or, stop them before they can even begin. I believe we need to stop them now, but I leave the decision to whosoever reads this. Do not reply to this letter."

The King folded the sheet up again, placed it back into his sleeve, and leaned down on the table. Will had so many questions bouncing around in his head he didn't even know where to start. How did this develop with Liam riding around, observing everything? How did the Scotti return to try again after just 4 years? How could a only small party of men break MacHaddish out of one of the toughest prisons in Araluen? And why were the Scotti being so predictable as to try invading in the same place as last time? He looked up and realized Halt had already spoken.

"I think that letter is pretty self-explanatory. Everyone does understand what it means in the long run, correct?" He glanced around the room, getting nods from everyone. "I think the solutions that Liam suggests are perhaps the only ones there are. We either need to let the Scotti try to launch an attack and put the whole of our army up there on the border, or we need to send someone to try to sneak into their camp and get some information at least, before we decide what action to take. I think the second choice is obviously the better one."

"I would send you, Halt, but to be honest, you are much more useful here helping us place our troops and organize the plan as a whole," Crowley said.

"Yes, I agree with that, I want you here to help me with this, Halt," the King said. Halt shrugged and sat down resignedly. He had already known he wouldn't go.

"Well, then Will should go." Evanlyn said matter-a-factly. Everyone turned and looked at her. "Don't look at me like that! You all know that he is the obvious choice glaring at you in the face. Will is the only person in this room that has a good chance at this. He's dealt with these people before, in the same climate, and the exact same general!"

"Yes, I agree as well. Will is the best person suited to go," Pauline said smoothly.

"I was thinking the same thing. I think it's settled then. Will, I assume you are willing to go?" the King asked.

Everyone turned to look at Will, who was still staring with unfocused eyes at some point on the wall, thinking deeply. He shook his head a little, clearing his mind, and shrugged at them. "I'll be gone at first light. I'll communicate with you by pigeon, I know that Seacliff has a pigeon service -"

"Will, hold on a second." Alyss looked him in the eyes and said softly, "Consider the emotional state of everyone in this situation for a moment."

Will reared back a little in his chair, looking suddenly dismayed. He said desperately, "Alyss, I'm sorry, I know we just barely got married, and that we've been having problems finding a place to live, but I can't put that before the fate of Araluen - "

"No, Will, it's not that..." Alyss gave a small laugh, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "Of course I understand that. I meant the emotions between you and the Scotti. Remember... they hate you, Will." Her face darkened slightly at these words."In one day you stopped their invasion, and you also destroyed years of work and preparation. Yes, I know Horace was with you, but he isn't here now, and you were the leader. That means you have to face the consequences." Will looked relieved, but was thinking hard.

"Alyss is right, Will. These people probably know your name, that you're a Ranger, and I'm sure MacHaddish has warned them all of your skills, probably all of the details of your previous mission there... wait, where is Horace, by the way?" Pauline asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Oh, he's off in Celtica, meeting with some of the Celtic warmasters and getting some sort of weapons instruction there," interjected Will.

"Continuing on with the situation at hand - " Halt said through slightly clenched teeth, "good point, Alyss. Will, if you want to take this mission, you'll have to be extra careful. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

"I won't, Halt. I promise." Will's eyes moved from Halt to Alyss, reassuring them both. I'll be safe. I promise.

The King slumped back into his chair. "So you will depart at first light?" Will nodded. "Remember to update us every two days with messages, including every scrap of news you manage to overhear, even if it sounds irrelevant."

"Of course, my lord."

The King sighed heavily, and then said, "Then I wish upon you as much luck as you can muster, because you're going to need it."


	2. Chapter 2

Will rode through the chilly forests in northern-Araluen alone, following the roads that lead to Seacliff Fief. He had departed from Castle Redmont two days prior, and he was already missing Alyss. On the morning he had left, only a small group of people had come to see him off, because much of the castle's staff were swept up in war preparations. Only Alyss, Halt, Pauline, Crowley, and Evanlyn had come to say goodbye.

Evanlyn had gone first, squeezing Will into a hug, kissing him on the cheek, and wishing him luck. She had then swept back up into the castle to go through some paperwork with her father.

Crowley had slapped him on the back a few times and told him, "Will, I really hope you succeed because if you don't, we will all be in big trouble." On that cheery note, he also left quickly, to send numerous messages to all the Rangers to give a report on what was happening.

Next Will stepped up to Halt and gave him a hug, and Halt slapped him on the back a few times as well. "I believe in you, Will, and I know you can do most anything once you can get your arrow to go in the right place. You have got your extra arrow cases, right?"

"Yes, of course Halt. Don't worry, I'll be back soon with lots of information. And hopefully a dead Scotti general."

"Now that would be something." Halt gave just the barest hint of a smile, and stepped back to let Alyss in. He walked back into the courtyard of the castle, knowing that those two would want a little privacy. It is, after all, Will's first mission since he's gotten married, Halt thought.

Alyss took hold of both of his hands and looked deeply into Will's eyes, drinking in his presence. "Be safe, Will."

"I will. At least, I'll try." But I can't promise, he added silently.

"I know. But trouble always seems to find you anyway." Then she leaned forward and gave him just the tenderest of kisses, and then leaned in for a hug, burying her face in his cloak, try to memorize what he smelled like. Will stroked her long blonde hair and breathed in the light scent of her perfume. She murmured into his cloak, "If you die, I'll kill you."

Will smiled. "I won't die, Alyss."

Alyss also smiled, but it was a sad smile. "I know you're trying to make me feel better, but you really can't guarantee that, can you?"

"That's... True. But - ," Will muttered.

"Go, Will. You must leave soon if you are going to get there by nightfall in two days."

He took one last good look at her, and then kissed her gently. "Don't worry about me, Alyss." Will climbed up on to Tug, and grabbed the reins.

"You know I will." Alyss raised a hand in farewell as Will rode off to the north.

Will smiled faintly at the memory, but returned his attention to the forest around him. He had been travelling for two days now, and had to reach Seacliff before nightfall and meet with the Baron just briefly before setting off to locate the camp. The Ranger there, Liam, had ridden away to Castle Araluen after receiving the news that Will was coming, so Will was completely alone.

The leaves crunched underneath Tug's hooves as he made his way through the forest path and up toward Castle Seacliff.

Don't worry, Tug said. You've still got me.

"Of course," Will said, and patted Tug's neck affectionately. "I've always got you." Minutes later, they crested a hill and the forest stopped. Beyond was the castle on the cliffs that hung majestically over the ocean on the far western part of Araluen. The castle was just as beautiful as Will remembered it from the years that he served there. He rode up to the castle and the guardsmen let him through, recognizing him and greeting him. It's as though I never left, Will thought. Of course, he didn't realize that though that guardsmen didn't actually recognize him, he was so famous that once he had stated his name, they would have let him through whether he was here to stop an invasion or to just have dinner.

Will left Tug in the courtyard, and went up a similar stairwell to the one in Redmont where Baron Ergel was waiting for him. "Ranger Will! Thank goodness you've come! I assume you have read the letters?" Baron Ergel asked breathlessly, pumping Will's hand enthusiastically.

Will quickly withdrew his hand from the Baron's grasp and shook it slightly to get the blood flowing again. "Yes, I have read the letters. I have been assigned by the King to take care of the trouble up here. This was just a visit to let you know that I was here. I actually must leave right now to go and locate the camp."

"Of course, I understand. Will you be continuing communication here?"

"Yes, I will need to use your message pigeons for sending information updates to Redmont and Araluen. But I will not be keeping up direct contact with you. As of this evening, I am going 'dark'."

The Baron looked puzzled at this terminology. "'Dark'?"

Will sighed inwardly. "I won't be coming back to report to you. I'll sneak in to use the pigeons, and then leave. I don't want many people to know of my presence."

The Baron looked a little surprised, but nodded. "So be it. Thank you for coming. I wish you the best of luck." Will bowed to him and left. Everyone seems to think I need luck, he thought as he mounted Tug.

Tug glanced up at him. You don't need luck when you're with me. But when you're alone you definitely need luck.

Will glared at him. "I can take care of myself, you know." Tug just rolled his horsey eyes, and responded to Will's touch. They galloped off towards the border.

Once he reached the vicinity of the camp, Will dismounted Tug and left him safely in a patch of particularly thick brush and spoke the command 'silent'. That meant that if Tug heard anything or smelled anything, he would freeze and be completely quiet, which meant he would not be discovered by anyone passing by.

From there, Will continued on foot. He pulled his cowl around his head and he ghosted through the trees, making almost no sound. He moved swiftly from cover to cover, for unseen movement wasn't hard in the forest because it was nearly dark and it was a dense forest. Finally after a good two hours of seemingly going in circles, Will caught a whiff of smoke in the air, and as he turned in that direction, he saw the faintest hint of light coming through the trees. He began to move toward it when suddenly his 'sixth sense' began to tingle. It wasn't something Will could explain, most Rangers had it. It was the feeling that you were being watched, or that someone was nearby before even seeing them. Will froze, and only just in time. Suddenly a large, hairy man came into his line of vision not ten feet from the bush Will was standing behind. He walked by, surprisingly light-footed on the leaf-strewn ground, almost no noise, not as quiet as Will, but nearly. In fact, if Will hadn't stopped, he would have practically walked right into him. The huge man was clearly a Scotti, with a large plaid kilt that fell to his knees and strange blue paint on his face. He wasn't MacHaddish but he was definitely a person to be reckoned with. He had a large ball and chain on his belt, one on each hip, one for each arm. And by the size of his arm muscles, he knew how to use them.

Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around, for god's sake. Will prayed desperately that the man would just walk right by, but apparently his last movement was what had attracted the huge man to the area. The man paused just about ten feet from Will. He even stared straight at the place where Will was standing for a full five seconds. His face was huge and red and covered in a thick and scraggly beard. Now here was a beard that was truly 'scruffy', as Will sometimes called Halt's beard. But Halt's beard was sleek compared to this. God... He's ugly. Will didn't move a muscle, even though he felt so afraid that he just wanted to duck and run, not only from his terrifying figure, but also his horrendous physical appearance.

"Ey! Adair! Git over here!" A voice called out from a short distance away, but it was rapidly get further away as the person moved deeper into the forest.

The man named Adair said, "Oy, hold on Bartholomew, I thought I saw somethin' here."

But Bartholomew didn't care. He was tired and in desperate need of a drink, and he didn't want Adair wasting his tavern time just to watch a squirrel. "Fine, but I'm leaving. Have fun tracking rodents." He crashed through the underbrush, getting further and further away from Will and Adair.

Follow him. I'm not here. Just follow him. Will fought the urge to shiver as a drop of sweat traced its way down his spine from his neck to the small of his back.

Finally Adair turned away from where Will was standing, and called back, "You're right, pro'lly just a squirrel. I'm comin'." And with that Adair left as quietly as he had come.

Don't turn around again. Don't do it. Will forced himself to stay absolutely still for a full minute before beginning to move forward again, just to make sure that both men were truly gone. But before advancing, he sank down against a tree and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. All he could picture was what would have happened if that man had spotted him, and flashes of his nearly fatal fight with MacHaddish flitted across his closed eyelids. He recalled Halt and Alyss's warnings: Don't take any unnecessary risks. Finally he managed to calm down, and he got back up, brushed leaves off of himself, and started silently and carefully towards the light.

The next few minutes were incredibly nerve racking, as Will had to cross several clearings with little to no cover, and every second Will was sure someone would come out of the woods and see a figure in a green cloak trying futilely to look like a rock. Finally Will reached the outskirts of the camp, where there countless tents set up by the men who were staying there. From the number of tents, it was certainly a formidable mass of people. Will ghosted between the tents with no problem, not coming across anyone. It was clear that all the men must be at some meeting or gathering in the middle of the camp, because as Will went past more and more tents, the light got brighter and the noise grew louder. It was completely dark now, and the shadows were long.

Finally Will passed all the tents and came across quite a sight. There was a massive bonfire, probably about ten to fifteen feet tall, and as wide as two carts, and just as long. Surrounding it were logs that had men squeezed on to every one of them, four men to each log, and about fifty logs. That meant about a hundred and fifty people, Will estimated. That meant that nearly the entire Scotti tribe had come to the camp. Then a man that Will knew well stepped in front of the camp fire, creating a rather dramatic silhouette. He had a kilt but was slimmer than Adair, and he had half of his face covered in thick blue war paint, which symbolized a general. A ball and chain, similar to Adair's, was hanging at his belt. But this one had wicked long spikes. And it was no mistaking who it was.

MacHaddish.

Will listened carefully and quietly as the men started their meeting. First off, they all ate a huge pig that was roasting on a spit over the fire, and they laughed and drank and generally just talked about their families and lives. The delicious smell of pig was intoxicating for Will, who hadn't eaten yet, and he worried that his stomach would reveal his presence. But after the meal, MacHaddish rose and began to speak. "Men! Listen! Listen to me! Your leader!" Gradually all of the man stopped talking and watched MacHaddish for his next few words. Will leaned in a bit farther to make sure he heard everything right. "Tonight is a joyous night! Does anybody know why?"

He glanced around the crowd, until one man shouted out, "We got a new supply of mead!" A chorus of laughter and applause rose from the crowd, and even MacHaddish gave a small, gruesome smile. But then it was gone and he continued. "Yes, that is a good thing, but it is not the reason we are here! We are here to invade! Invade Araluen!" Another chorus of shouting and cheering rose, but MacHaddish let this one continue, revelling in his glory and accomplishment. It was basically a rally, a long meeting where they drank and cheered for themselves. "Men! In just a few days, we will march over that border with our prize and no one will be able to stop us! We will take over all the tiny fiefs in our way and finally unseat King Duncan and his blasted Rangers! Are you all ready to do it with me?" More loud cheering. More drinking. I've seen all this before. I need to get out of here before Adair walks right into me. He had quite enough to mull over tonight, and plenty to report to Halt and the King back at Redmont. Will turned and left.

Later that evening, when the Scotti perimeter guards returned to the main control tent to report before their breaks, one of the guards had something to report. "I - I'm not really sure what I saw. It wasn't an animal, it was definitely human sized, but it was as though it wasn't there quite, a - a ghost, like." The captain of the guard stood and grabbed the man harshly by the arm and yelled in his face, "What? What did you see? Tell me! I must know!"

The guard, suddenly realized that his report had some meaning, continued nervously, "Uh, a man I think, in some sort of cloak that made it so I couldn't really tell where he was, I lost sight of him a lot, I only glanced him a few times. I never even saw his f - face..." the guard floundered to a stop as the captain released him and ran out of the tent. The captain sprinted for the main command tent, and he entered and called, "General! General MacHaddish! The green man! He is here! The green ghost man!"

The tent fell eerily silent and MacHaddish turned and slowly faced the captain. A slow, wicked grin spread over his face, and he murmured, "Our plan is in motion."

"... in conclusion, the camp is nearly done with preparations, and they are going to attack in 'a few days', which I interpret to be maybe a week or more. Please arrange your forces accordingly. Sincerely, Will." Halt closed the letter and leaned heavily down on the table in Araluen Fief at a meeting table in the King's quarters. Maps and charts were spread out before him and the King and Crowley who were selecting men and positioning so that they would be ready when Will gave the word.

"All I can say, Halt, is that Will is doing a fabulous job, as usual," the King said while looking over a map.

"We just have to hope he doesn't get caught. If he does, I don't know what we'll do..." Crowley murmured thoughtfully, pouring over a list of men.

"We just have to hope he doesn't get caught." Halt said this with confidence, but there was an inkling of doubt in his heart he would never tell anyone about. What would they do?

Two nights after his discovery of the camp, Will returned to the camp for the third time. The second time he had gone, it had been another war rally, and he hadn't gotten any new information, except for some repeats of the night before. This time he creeped into camp again past a different guard, who didn't even glance his way as he went by. Will still felt nervous entering the camp, but he was a little more comfortable now since he knew where everything was now. He made a beeline to the camp fire and climbed up into a tree that was just inside the clearing, but not near enough for it to be noticeable. He found a comfortable position in the tree, and set himself for another night of cheering and rallying. He waited a while, and then while longer, and then he realized that the tribe had not yet gathered, and they were running late. They were never late, or at least they had been exactly on time both other days Will had watched them. So Will climbed cautiously down from the tree, and smoothly left the bonfire and followed some officer to the main command tent, where MacHaddish was planning the last of his invasion. Will quickly ducked into one of the tents, shed his cloak and left it under a shelf in the tent. He grabbed one of the cloaks hanging on the hanger by the door and put it around him. Then he flipped the hood up over his head and strolled out confidently and headed for the command tent again, this time walking as though he was supposed to be there. Halt had taught him long ago: if you want to infiltrate somewhere, act like you belong there, and people will assume that you do. Will wasn't about to ignore his mentor's advice now, not when he was in such a dangerous situation. Will walked right into the tent and stood near the back of the crowd of people as MacHaddish was overviewing the last of their movement plans. MacHaddish nodded a few times, pursed his lips again, and said, "... yes, yes this all looks in order. When can we move out, Sergeant?"

The man nearest to him said, "About four days, sir."

MacHaddish grinned slightly, and turned to the man who had just entered behind him. He looked like a messenger. He krept meekly up behind him a whispered something into his ear. Will couldn't even hope to hear what it was from that distance. MacHaddish nodded a few times again, murmured a 'thank you' to the messenger, and then announced in a surprising loud voice, "Well, well, well, it seems that tonight we have a distinguished guest with us! A great man, a great man, in one's opinion. He stopped an invasion some years ago, he was a genius tactician against a mighty foe and he managed to survive and escape to save the day! All in all, a very accomplished man. I haven't seen him for some years, but he is here tonight with us, and I expect to show him some hospitality!"

As Will listened to this banter, he thought how accomplished this Scotti must be to have earned MacHaddish's respect... and then suddenly a terrifying, horrible doubt crossed his mind. Could MacHaddish have discovered... Could I have been so sloppy as to let someone know I was here... Will wasn't sure, but it sounded eerily similar to what had happened years ago in Seacliff when Will was a newly commissioned Ranger, so he turned and began to make his way toward the door, at a relaxed pace so as not to disturb the other people in the tent, but MacHaddish's next words confirmed it.

"Ranger Will Treaty! Ranger Will! Where are you? I know that you are in here! The exits are sealed, you have no way to escape. May as well reveal yourself, you have no where to go."

God. Oh, god. No, don't panic. Will's heart pounded furiously in his chest and he furtively glanced around at the two exits from the tent, but he could see a mass of soldiers completely sealing off each exit. Nobody was coming in or out, and that included Will. In just a few seconds, Will decided that he had no choice. Even if he did escape the tent, which was a big 'if', there would be about a hundred men between him and freedom. I don't have any other choice. Will slowly took a few steps forward into the center of the tent, and lowered his hood. MacHaddish watched him carefully, following his every move, and yet never losing his awareness of what was going on around him.

They both stood frozen in the center of the tent for a few seconds just looking intently at one another, sizing each other up. Finally MacHaddish spoke. "Ranger Will. I have not seen you in a long time."

So you wanna play polite? I'll play, too. "And you, General MacHaddish. Your makeup is still as blue as ever."

MacHaddish kept up his pleasant grimace, but the skin around his eyes tightened noticeably. "I see your wit has not deteriorated either. Are you still shooting toothpicks with your twig and twine?"

"Yes, and I've gotten better. I see you've dumped the broadsword and have taken up to playing with a cat toy." Will jibed at his weapon, trying to drive MacHaddish over the edge. The only way Will could escape was if MacHaddish lost his temper and the whole tent descended into chaos, and Will could slip out in the ruckus. But from the look of MacHaddish at the moment, that chance was getting slimmer and slimmer.

MacHaddish took a step closer to Will, and Will tried to back up as well, but the men behind him formed a wall and he couldn't go anywhere. MacHaddish thrust his face into Wills and spat, "I am going to make you pay, Ranger Will. I am going to make you pay for all the suffering you caused my people and all the planning and preparations you ruined in just a few hours. But that will have to come after I 'ransom' you off to the King."

"You do understand that the King isn't going to send a ransom for me, right? I am sworn into his service. That includes my life." Will kept up his calm charade on the outside, but inside his heart was pounding so hard he was surprised that MacHaddish couldn't hear it.

At this information, MacHaddish just smiled. "Yes, I do know that, Ranger Will. That's why I set up the plan for you to be captured, because I know that yes, you have friends, and yes, they would normally help you. But this time they can't, because they are all in the capital of Araluen right now planning a war, and your value, though extremely high, does not equal a country. None of your friends can help you. You are all alone." He leaned down into Will's face, his voice hard and merciless. "So when I send for a ransom request, you will feel sad, and your friends will feel sad, even the King will feel sad because I do know how much he values you as an adviser and a friend to his daughter. Everyone in Araluen will be sad, and then I'll march right in, and even though your friends will be ordered to kill me, they won't do it because they won't be able to bear to let you die. They love you too much. And then I will kill you. And that will be merciful, because I am obviously an extremely merciful person."

Will just looked at him blankly on the outside, but inside he was sad and angry and frustrated. The information MacHaddish had just sent like arrows rapid-fire into his brain were bouncing around as he tried to make sense of what he had just heard. And then it all clicked. And he knew he had very little hope left of surviving more than a week.

MacHaddish saw it all register in Will's eyes, and he grinned his crooked, wicked grin, murmured to a man beside him, "Tie him." The man advanced nervously, and then several men grabbed Will's arms and dragged them in front of him and he tied them together securely. The men holding him ripped his knives out of his scabbards and dug into his belt pouches and removed the strikers as well.

Then MacHaddish said, "Take him away. We have an invasion to prepare," and Will was dragged out of the tent.

Alyss paced back and forth worriedly in the pigeon shed, waiting for Will's pigeon to come. But it wasn't coming. It was a day late, and that was very unlike Will. Different scenarios ran through her head about what could have possibly happened to him... Maybe he got trapped in the camp and had to wait before he could leave... or maybe he had to return to Araluen... but he would have sent a letter warning them. She wished she knew what was happening to him, but she had no way of knowing until he sent a letter or she went and discovered it herself.

She left the pigeon shed, walked across the lawn, and entered Castle Araluen. She quickly went up to the main meeting room. Halt and the King were still there. Evanlyn and Crowley were not.

Halt looked up as she entered and nodded to her. "I assume you have the letter from Will. It was late this time, does it explain why?"

Alyss shook her head. "I don't have the letter from Will, because there isn't one! Halt, he's not going to send one! Something's happened to him... I can feel it."

Halt raised an eyebrow. "You can feel it? Alyss, he's probably just running a bit late. When he comes back, I'll have to tell him off for that..." then his voice faded away as he looked at another list. "Your Majesty, it seems that, according to this list, the Third Infantry Division has gathered in the wrong holding area again."

Alyss lost her temper at this, shouting harshly, "Halt! Something has happened to Will and you're just going to ignore it? How could you?"

Halt sighed, and looked up at her. "Alyss, I'm not ignoring it. But unfortunately, there are more important things to be dealt with at the moment."

"What, Halt? What could be more important than your son?"

That stopped Halt in his tracks. He froze, staring at the map, but his glazed eyes weren't really seeing it. The King, sensing the tension, inconspicuously sauntered away from the table and out of the room. Now it was empty, except for Halt and Alyss.

"Alyss." Halt stepped away from the table and gently took her hand. "I love Will. Like a son, as you said. But, like the King, my emotions come after the safety of Araluen, and as of right now, Araluen is being threatened, as we know from Will. You have no idea how badly I want to ride out there and check up on him, or at least send him a letter, but I can't, not when the kingdom comes first." Alyss knew he was right. I know that, but I can't just leave him, he's my husband... But more importantly, he's my best friend. She was having a strange feeling, the premonition that Will wasn't just delayed, something had happened. Maybe not to him, but something important enough to delay his letter. She let go of his hand.

"You're right, Halt. I'm sorry for getting angry."

Halt smiled. "I understand it. I feel a bit angry as well that I can't help him. If only there was someone who could..." and then he was swept up in his maps and charts and lists again. Alyss sensed that anymore talk about this would be wasting time, both her's and Halt's. She left the room quietly and started down the stairs. Something Halt had said lingered in her mind... if only there was someone who could. And then it dawned on her... there was someone who could help Will!

"I can help him," she whispered. Alyss knew she had no duties left. Most of the diplomacy was done now, and Lady Pauline was handling her workload without any problems. No one would even miss her. She ran back up the stairs and swung around the corner into the room, and said, "Halt! I'm leaving to find Will! Don't try to follow me! I'll send a message when we've sorted out what's going on up there! I should be back in a week or less!" Not even waiting for Halt's reaction, she ran right back down the stairs, packed up a few belongings, and galloped off towards the north.

Will had been a captive in the Scotti camp for about a day now. They had taken his weapons and everything in his belt. The had retied his hands to a stake they had set up at the edge of the camp just a few meters away from MacHaddish's tent. They hadn't even given him any food. They left him there all night, and he had wrapped himself up in his cloak as best he could to stay warm. The next morning, they had given him a bit of oatmeal and dried fruit and some water. The smell of coffee had been intoxicating, Will remembered. Occasionally a soldier or guard would kick him or spit on him as they walked by, but so far all he had were a few bruises, and none of them were very bad. He sat there all afternoon, and all the way into the evening, and nobody paid him much attention at all. It seemed as though they simply wanted to contain him until he was actually needed. But later in the evening, just before dinner, at around six in the evening, MacHaddish and group of his advisors left the tent and advanced toward him. Will rose to his feet and stood awkwardly against the stake his wrists were tied to. MacHaddish reached him and just looked at him for a second, sneering at him in utter contempt and hatred. But then he gestured to one of the men behind him, and he gave Will a piece of bread. Will took it and ate it, savoring the taste and eating every crumb. He needed to keep up his strength if he was going to escape. MacHaddish waited until Will had finished his bread, and then began to speak. "Ranger Will. I need you to answer some questions for me, please. They are not hard questions, they are simply to find out what you learned while you were spying on us. Will you answer them truthfully?"

Will shrugged. "I can't make any promises. "

MacHaddish's eyebrows lowered slightly, but other than that he held his temper. "I shall pretend that I did not hear you. How many days did you spy on our camp?"

Will shrugged again, his expression indifferent. "I don't think I want to tell you right now."

MacHaddish sighed slightly, and his shoulders tightened. "What information did you hear during your time at this camp?"

Another shrug from Will. "I don't really want to talk to you. "

MacHaddish's whole body tightened up and he growled through clenched teeth, "Where did you hide while you were listening to us?"

Will shrugged one more time. "I already said that I didn't want to talk to you. Do I really have to say it again?"

By this time, MacHaddish's temper was hanging by a thread. One more poke, and he would explode. His face was bright red, his whole body was tense and his hand was clenched, white-knuckled, around the handle of his spiked ball and chain. MacHaddish struggled to say, "This is your last chance. Answer my question. What did you hear?"

Will goaded him one last time. "Fine. I'll say it again: I don't want to talk to you."

MacHaddish lost it. He whipped the ball and chain from his belt and brought it swinging across his body horizontally, aiming for Will's head. Will had been expecting an attack, but his luck was out that day. Will ducked, but just a hair too soon. The ball itself missed Will's head, but the spikes did not. Three of the sharp spikes slashed the side of his head, slicing through the skin. Will, having lost his balance by throwing himself down to avoid the ball, fell to the ground, and immediately felt hot blood running down the right side of his face, over his temple and dripping off his jaw. It was also running down through his hair over his ear. He knelt on the ground and breathed for a moment. And then all at once the shock went away and the pain set in. He suddenly had a massive headache, his whole head was throbbing horribly.

Meanwhile, most of MacHaddish's advisors had grabbed at his arms and legs just after hitting Will. They ripped the ball and chain from his grasp and restrained him for a moment, shouting for him to calm down and get in control. Eventually MacHaddish stopped shaking and the redness disappeared from his face, and he stopped struggling. He calmly pulled the men's arms off of him and took back his ball and chain and secured it to his belt, acting as though nothing had happened. "Thank you, gentlemen. That will not happen again." But he turned to Will and bent over him, rasping into his ear, "That was just the beginning."

Alyss was tired. So tired. She had ridden all day and through the night and part of the next day to get to Seacliff. She had taken some maps with her so that she would know exactly where to go to find Will. He had written in his letter the exact location of the camp, so she didn't have to look for it. But after spending about thirty-two straight hours in the saddle she was so tired she could barely walk. She heaved herself off the horse she was riding and walked along for a little while, resting the horse and her legs. Then she mounted the other horse she had brought and rode the last few miles up to the location Will had said the camp was near. After another thirty minutes of riding, she reached a part of the forest that was familiar to her according to Will's directions. She went past the huge log that had fallen down and then suddenly her horse bucked! His muscles tightened and all at once his front hooves were in the air. Alyss nearly fell off, but she just managed to grab the saddle horn. Finally she managed to calm the poor horse down and she tried to pull the reigns in the right direction, but the horse dragged its head in the opposite direction and pranced to the left a little, Alyss dragging the reins the other way all the while. Finally after the horse been stopped she leaned down to fix a strap that had snapped when she was wrestling with the horse when she saw a shadow move. No, it was too big to be a tree branch, and it was too solid to be a bush. It was bigger than a man, definitely bigger. She slowly and quietly dismounted and crept up behind a huge tree. The she saw the shadow move again, and she looked up and saw some large animal behind the clump of bushes. It was moving around quietly, but it didn't seem to be alarmed. It wasn't the same size as a bear, but it was bigger than a deer. In fact, it looked like horse.

A horse.

"Tug! Tug! Is that you?" Alyss called out and ran over to the bush and pulled back the bramble. Sure enough, Will's unmistakable stocky, barrel-chested horse looked at her with big brown eyes. "Tug!" Alyss hugged him around the neck, relieved to see him. This meant that she was definitely in the right place. Will had been here... But where was he now? Alyss went around behind Tug and suddenly noticed that Will's longbow was unstrung and in its case, slung onto the side of his saddle. His full quiver and both spare arrow cases were there as well. Wherever he went he couldn't bring his bow, she thought. She dug around in his saddle bags, and found his food rations. He had brought enough rations for a week and a half. His water bottle was full, but the water was leathery and old. He hasn't been here recently, she thought, and he has only eaten 4 days of his rations... that means that he hasn't eaten his rations for either yesterday or today. And Alyss knew that Will would never not eat. He was gone, and hadn't been here for about two days, that was for sure. She had been right. Something had happened to Will, and she had to find out where he was.

She was about to mount Tug, but then she remembered something about what Will had said about Tug... something about how Ranger horses never got stolen because they had a code phrase to mount them safely. She wracked her brain for the phrase; she was certain will had told her. "That's it!" She leaned into Tug's head and whispered, "Do you mind?" into his ear.

Tug flicked back his ear and gave a horsey nod.

Alyss took this as a sign and she mounted Tug. She waited for a moment just to make sure she had been right, then she twitched the reins and rode Tug out of the clearing with the two other horses following behind, making her way closer and closer to the camp.

Alyss dismounted Tug as soon as she saw the light in the distance. It was the light of the bonfire, according to Will's letter. She lead the horses to a safe place in the forest and quickly pulled her blue cloak over her riding clothes. She pulled out her disguise kit she always carried as part of being a Courier and worked on becoming a man. She skillfully applied makeup that thickened her eyebrows and made her jawline more defined and thicker looking. She lightened her eyelashes and made her lips look a bit thinner. She put on a pair of spectacles to hide her feminine-set eyes, she pulled her cowl up and straightened her shoulders. Her height helped, since she was as tall as most men anyway. She practiced walking harder to seem heavier and thicker built. She put thick leather on her arms to make them seem thicker, and last of all, she made herself cough a lot so that her voice was gruffer and deeper. Then she left the horses there, and walked into the camp. Some men actually greeted her as she made her way through the tents, so she thought she must be doing a pretty good job. She finally made it past the tents and came across the massive bonfire. But it wasn't lit, and no one was there, so she kept on moving. She walked past all the logs and made it to the rows of command tents. The largest tent there was full of people, so Alyss walked over there and stood near the back to listen in. A large man was speaking in the center of the tent, saying, "... in two days time we will march out of Scotti and into Araluen, and we will win without even fighting because we have a weapon that they will never expect! Do you all hear me?" The crowd of men cheered and screamed in bloodlust and the need for victory. "Good. The last order of business before I suggest we all turn in is that someone still needs to feed the Ranger. Does anyone want to volunteer?" he sneered.

Will's at the camp. I need to find him. "I'll do it!" she shouted gruffly, trying to sound manly.

"Good, a volunteer. Go to the mess tent to get something for him. Then stay and watch him eat it it, and then you can leave him again. Feel free to go to bed after that. In fact, all of you should turn in. We have a big couple of days ahead of us." The huge man addressed Alyss and then the whole tent. But Alyss was already gone heading for the mess tent.

She walked in, grabbed a loaf of bread and some dried meat and went back to the main command tent. She looked around carefully certain that Will had to be somewhere nearby, and then she saw him. A figure in a green and gray cloak was slumped against a huge thick stake stuck into the ground, and his hands were tied to the stake. His head was slumped down so she couldn't see his face. Sleeping, he's only sleeping. They wouldn't tie up a dead man. She walked slowly over, even though her heart was pounding with relief as she now had living proof that Will was alive. She hadn't let that doubt cross her mind often but she had known it wasn't out of the question. But here was proof that he was alive. She came within about five meters of him and Will looked up. The right side of his face was shrouded in shadow from the lanterns, and he looked a bit pale, but his eyes still had steel in him, and she knew he was alright.

"Finally come with my food, have you? Running a bit late..." he said quietly. She came up close to him and he reared back uncomfortably, unsure of why this man was so close to him. Alyss smiled slightly. Her disguise was working a little too well. She removed her spectacles and sloshed some of Will's water onto her face. She wiped her face off with her cloak and her makeup came off in a few smudges. "What - what are you doing..." Will trailed off as Alyss leaned in close to him.

"Will... it's me. Alyss." His eyes widened as he registered the suddenly familiar face without the make up or glasses.

"Alyss? Is that really you? How the devil did you get here?" his voice seemed relieved and shocked at the same time. But Alyss put a finger to his lips and whispered, "Just eat. I'll explain everything to you."

Will did eat. But he ate slowly as he listened to everything Alyss said. She explained how she had not received a letter and how she knew something was wrong, about her fight with Halt, and then he long ride here. Finally at the end, Will whispered, "I would tell you everything that's happened to me, but it would take way too long and be too complicated for just a short conversation. Let's just say that I ran into a bit of trouble and I got caught. They have included me in their plan to invade, that's the only reason I'm still alive. What I need to do right now is escape." A faint smile crossed over his lips. "And I have a plan to do it."

"Of course you do, you schemer." Alyss smiled at him. Will tried to grin widely back at her but he suddenly winced as if in pain. "What? Is something wrong?"

"No, not really, well, it depends on your definition of 'wrong' , but... wait, you can't see it?" Will seemed bewildered that she didn't already know.

"See... what?" she asked uncertainly. Will glanced around for a moment, and then smiled again.

"I see. I'm in shadow, so you can't see it... hold on a moment..." He rose to his knees and twisted his head a bit so that his whole face was in the light, and Alyss gasped. Blood covered the right side of his head from his temple to just beyond his ear and down to his jaw and neck. Three deep cuts had been slashed into the side of his head, and they had bled profusely. They weren't bleeding much anymore, but they were still oozing, and it was clear that it hurt very badly.

"Oh... Will, did they do this to you?"

"Yes, unfortunately, MacHaddish did. He lost his temper and slashed me with his spiked ball and chain."

"What?" Alyss's voice raised louder than a whisper, and she jerked around to see if any one had noticed... but nobody was around. "He hit your head with a ball and chain? How did you not... die?"

"I ducked at the last minute, just not quite soon enough to avoid the spikes. The cuts didn't even hit the skull. They just bled a lot, that's why it looks so bad."

Alyss sighed and gently wrapped her arms around him for a moment and then let go before anyone could see. "Are you sure? It looks really painful..."

"I'll admit, it hurts like the very devil, but I'll survive."

"Now that we've confirmed you will live, tell me about this escape plan of yours."


	3. Chapter 3

Halt looked back one last time as the five hundred men under his command readjusted themselves to their new camp site, setting up tents and eating. He and a small party of leaders including the King, Cassandra, Crowley, Gilan, and a few infantry officers had set out on a march about two days prior going to the north, towards Seacliff with about five hundred men. Since Will and Alyss had been out of contact, they had given up on their plan and had put together a force of men to hit the Scotti with full force. Now they were camped in the the plains outside of where the forests began, which marked the border between Scotti and Araluen. They had just arrived at the planned campsite where they would spend the night, and the next day in the afternoon they would use Will's information on the camp's location and they would strike them down and hopefully find Will and Alyss. Assuming nothing's happened to either of them, Halt thought. Just as Halt was mulling over what could have possibly happened to his former apprentice, a scout came running up to him. "Look, sir! A rider, on the horizon!"

Halt looked, and sure enough, a lone rider was getting ever closer to their camp. He was galloping, but nothing was chasing him, so he assumed he must be coming for the camp. "I'll take care of this." Halt nudged Abelard and they trotted off to intercept the rider. Halt let him get within about a hundred meters and then called, "Stay where you are! Declare yourself!"

The rider stopped and then held up his shield. It had an oakleaf on it, and Halt knew who it was before the rider even called out, "Halt! It's me, Horace! I'm alone."

"Well, come on then! We need to get back to the camp!" Halt let Horace catch up to him, and they rode into camp together. "Why in the blazes are you here? How did you get here so fast? And who even told you where we were anyway?"

"Oh... it was Cassandra. She sent me a letter as soon as her father got the tip that the Scotti were going to invade. I left Celtica immediately and followed her directions here. Is Will here as well?"

Halt's face darkened. "Come into the command tent, Horace. Will's not here, and we have a lot to talk about..."

Will's eyes moved back and forth constantly as he waited for just the right moment to signal Alyss. He observed the people walking by him, and as soon as there was a substantial lull in traffic, he reached up and awkwardly scratched his head. Immediately, Alyss popped out from behind on of the tents with a spear in her hand she walked towards him and right by him swinging the spear back and forth as if she was fiddling with it. But somewhere in that swing, the sharp metal tip seemed to cut near Will's hands, and sure enough, they sliced the ropes. But neither Will nor Alyss reacted at all. Will stayed hunched over, and Alyss just walked right on by. Next came the second phase of the plan. Suddenly Alyss began to shout at the men going by to follow her and to come with her, "Everyone! Listen to me! Listen! Last night I was out hunting in the woods and I saw this huge bear..." and she began to tell them an engrossing lie about the bear she had caught last night. While everyone's attention was on Alyss, Will let the ropes around his wrists drop and he rubbed his hands to get the blood flowing. He stood silently and grabbed a spare cloak he had been sitting on, courtesy of Alyss, and at the same time, unclipped his distinctive Ranger cloak. He quickly pulled on the extra cloak and spread the Ranger cloak over a nearby rock and dragged it over to where he had been sitting. The he artfully draped the rope from the stake to the cloak and hid the ends with the folds of the cloak. This obviously didn't look very good up close, but it would give them a little time to escape. Then he put his hand in the air, another signal to Alyss, and he walked confidently through the camp to the outer tents and stood inside tent number eighty-eight. Soon after that he heard Alyss stop talking and about a minute later, she also ducked inside the tent.

"Well, so far, everything is going according to plan. Will, pull your hood up a bit more, I can still see a trace of blood." Will did as Alyss instructed.

"Are you ready for the hard part? Remember, head for the horses and ride for the plains."

"How could I forget." Alyss peeked her head out of the tent and left. A few seconds later, Will did too. He followed Alyss past just a few tents before they reached the end of the tents. They were almost free. And that was when Alyss made her mistake. She walked right past a sentry who was dozing in a tree. Nobody was supposed to leave the camp, that was common knowledge. But here was this man leaving the camp? The sentry wouldn't have it. Suddenly another figure popped out of the trees and went the same way!

"Stop! Stop, I say! You cannot leave the camp!"

Alyss turned and looked at Will with alarm, and Will shouted, "Run!"

Both of them took off sprinting into the forest, heading straight for the bushes where the horses were. The sentry, meanwhile, rounded up all the other sentries and they began to chase them. Will and Alyss had a lead, but not a very big one. And they could gallop through the forest, so the sentries still had a chance. What they didn't count on was Will's shooting. But they would discover that soon enough. Will and Alyss ran for the horses. Will grabbed Tug's reins and Alyss grabbed the first horse she had taken, but she had to leave the second. They couldn't afford to drag along an extra horse. Since the forest was so dense around them, they ran through the forest leading their horses, running towards the plains that were just outside the forest. The sound of the men following them was still far behind them, but they were catching up. They didn't have horses to lead. Will made a split second decision. "Alyss! Let the horse go! It will follow Tug to the plains where we can meet them! They are slowing us down too much!"

Alyss let go of the reins and Will yelled to Tug, "Go to the plains! We'll meet you there!" Tug began to run through the forest, and Alyss sent her horse after him. Now Will and Alyss were alone in the forest... except for the thirty men following them. Suddenly, Will stopped running and ducked behind a tree. Alyss followed him. She saw that he had his quiver and spare arrow case slung on his back.

"Do you plan to shoot at them?" Alyss asked.

"Yes. When they come out of that thicket over there, I'll start shooting. When they get too close, I'll take off running until I find more cover and then I'll do the same thing. But the thing you need to do right now is run. Run for the plains, Alyss. Now!"

"But - I can't just leave you here with these crazy tribesmen who want to kill you chasing after you!"

"Yes you can, and you will. I'll be alright! Go!" And with that, Alyss ran as fast as she could for the plains.

And so Will continued to run back, then he would turn around shoot at them, and then run again. The men dropped one after the other under his fire, but still more kept coming Will assumed that there must have been a total of about thirty following them. He shaved them down to fifteen with one of his arrow cases, and then he emptied his fresh one into his quiver and began again. After all, it was hard to hit your target while running and shooting at the same time with a slight concussion and feeling really tired. He finally reached the plains, and realized he was running out of arrows quickly. He had only fifteen left - just enough for one arrow per man. He would have to pick his shots more accurately now. But as he plucked another two arrows from his quiver, he saw something out on the plains... it was a huge mass of tents and men. It was a war camp! He squinted his eyes to pick out the crest on the flags. There was no mistaking the Lion of Araluen. It was King Duncan! He was here!

Will wasted precious time gawking at the unexpected development, and by the time he turned around, he realized that the men chasing him were almost close enough to see him. He sprinted down the hill, bent at the waist, and plunged headlong into the tall grass disappearing from sight, the reappearing to shoot at them. He dropped another man, and then bent double in the grass and kept burrowing his way to the camp. He only hoped he could make it in time before he ran out of arrows.

Halt, Gilan, and Horace were all standing guard, looking off into the distance towards the forest. They had been chatting for a while and were getting tired. Halt turned Abelard around and began to go back to the camp when Horace suddenly exclaimed, "Look! My God, Halt! Look! Something is coming out of the forest!" Halt immediately whirled Abelard around and peered off into the distance where Horace was pointing, and sure enough, two things had come running out of the forest and were now coming towards them very quickly.

"They're horses. Two horses, but neither of them have riders..." Halt trailed off for a moment as he watched the horses come closer and closer, and then he heard Gilan exclaim, "I'd know that gait anywhere! It's Tug! Tug and some other horse! They are galloping straight for us!"

"Why in the blazes is Tug coming? That means Will must be nearby, he's the only one who could order Tug to do something like that..." and suddenly it all clicked. Halt called out to the other sentries around the camp, "Everyone! Defense positions! We have persons advancing from the forest! Please relay my orders!" Then he rode over to where Tug and the other horse where running to, Gilan and Horace following closely behind. They reached the big open area in front of their camp just as Tug and his friend came rumbling in, their eyes rolling and their sides streaked with sweat. The other horse was so frantic and afraid it took three men to calm her down. But Halt went over to see Tug and he put his hand on his neck, and instantly Tug went quiet, though he was still panting heavily. "Hello, Tug. What is it? What's happened? Where's Will?"

Tug rolled his eyes at Halt and gave him a look. Halt didn't really understand, but he decided to work on that small problem later. "Has everyone formed up into defensive positions?" he called out to some soldiers nearby.

"Yes, sir. "

"Good."

"Oh, wait, hold on sir! There's a person running out of the woods, heading straight for us!" Halt wheeled Abelard around again and looked where the sentry was pointing, and a person was indeed now running headlong in a full out sprint through the tall grass heading straight for the camp. The figure was wearing a Scotti cloak!

"Hold, men! Hold! I will deal with this person if he attacks, but do not attack unless a large force leaves the forest, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

But then the running figure ripped the cloak off of him and Halt could see that it was not a he, but a her! It was Alyss!

"Do not attack! I repeat! Do not attack! Person is not hostile!" Halt dismounted as she drew closer.

Alyss came sprinting into the camp just as King Duncan and Cassandra came running out of the command tents. Alyss skidded to a stop in front of Halt and practically fell into his arms, gasping, "Will! Will's - still out there - "

"Hold on a moment until you catch your breath! Will's still out there?" Halt asked. Alyss bent over and breathed for a moment and caught her breath. Cassandra passed her some water and she nodded her thanks and drank deeply.

"Yes - yes, Will's still out there. He should be coming very soon!"

"Wait, give us a brief summary of what happened. Stick to the basics." Halt looked off to the woods even as he spoke.

"Well, I rode off the find Will, and I found him in the Scotti camp - he'd been captured - so we both escaped with one of his plans and only the sentries saw us leave because I was sloppy, so about thirty-ish men were following us. We released the horses and had my horse follow Tug to the plains. We had no idea you'd be here though. Then Will did his weird 'run, find cover and shoot' thingy - "

"Oh, so that's why he sent you off. I can guess the rest. He sent you running off so that he could reduce their numbers without you getting in the way. That's why he's a little behind you. He'll pop up in the grass here pretty soon and we'll see him shoot and then pop back down. It's a standard Ranger tactic to slow down a party that's chasing you," Halt interrupted.

Alyss nodded, looking tired. "Yes, that's about it."

"Go and sit down for a moment, Alyss. I'll tell you when I see Will."

Alyss went over to a bench and sat down with Cassandra next to her, and had barely relaxed when Halt exclaimed, "I see him!"

Will ducked into the last tall patch of grass and shot two more arrows, and both of them hit their marks. He now had six arrows left and six men left. He was cutting it really close. He hunched back over, but then stood up in the shorter grass, so that his torso was exposed. He shot away three arrows and three men went down. Good, Will thought. Three left, three arrows. Will ducked again and ran another four hundred meters, then popped up and fired again, his last three arrows. But again, luck was not with him that day. Two of the arrows found their targets - one did not. The last man threw up his shield at the last minute and Will's arrow bounced off of it. Will bit his lip in frustration, but then he realized just how close to the camp he really was. He was only perhaps a hundred meters from the camp. He could even see Halt standing there with Evanlyn, Cassandra, Alyss, King Duncan, Gilan , Crowley, and... Horace? Will had no time to think about why his friend was here because he heard the unmistakable thrum of a cross bow and he dropped to the ground as a bolt hit the ground a few meters away from him, his cloak hindering his movement. He stripped off the old cloak and left it on the grass. He sprinted the last few hundred meters and ran straight into the camp and up to Halt. Everyone was so surprised by his sudden arrival that Halt didn't even object when Will reached over his shoulder, snagged one of his arrows, and shot the man running at him in the leg. He fell to the ground just inside the camp and lay there whimpering, the black arrow transfixed in his leg.

Everyone just stood there silently for a few seconds, just watching the twitching man on the ground, and the sound of Will's loud frantic breathing filled the silence. Then the bow dropped out of his hands and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath and trying not to pass out.

Halt was the first to move. He knelt next to Will and asked in soft, gentle voice, "Will? Are you alright?" Will held up his hand and pointed to the opposite side of his head, still trying to catch his breath. Halt gently took his jaw in his hand and turned his face so that he could see the other side. Three deep cuts in the side of his head and blood all down the far right side of his face and hair said enough. "Gilan, he's going to need some medical attention. Could you go and get someone ready?"

Gilan leaned down to look where Will had pointed and winced. "Is it life threatening?"

"No, he's had it for a few days, but he's not getting any better. Please go, Gilan." Gilan took one last look at the side of Will's head, touched Will's shoulder gently, and ran off toward the medical tent.

Horace, Alyss, and Cassandra sat down on the ground next to Will, and King Duncan and Crowley stood over them, keeping the soldiers back. "Back! Go back to your duties! We will not be attacked tonight! Go! Go about your business!" Crowley called out and the men reluctantly sidled away.

On the ground, Will had finally caught his breath enough to be able to speak. Halt gave him some water from his bottle, and Will drank deeply from it. Finally, Halt asked, "Will, tell me what happened, in a shortened summary, please, just the basics about your... adventure."

Will looked up at Halt tiredly and began. "Well, I was captured by General MacHaddish. He didn't capture me by force or something, he trapped me in his command tent when I was listening in. Apparently he already knew I was there. Anyway, he hit me with a spiked ball and chain. No, he didn't crush my skull and kill me, " he added hastily when an alarmed expression came over Halt's face. "I ducked just a little too late and the spikes slashed my head. It bled a lot but it didn't reach the skull, it only cut the skin. After that Alyss arrived and found me, and then we both escaped. But on the way out we were seen - "

"Sorry about that, Will. That was completely my fault," Alyss said hurriedly.

"It's all right, Alyss, don't feel bad. Plans almost never go exactly how you want them to go," he said, glancing at Halt and smiling slightly. "Anyway I had to use a cover and shoot method after sending the horses and Alyss running of towards the plains, and... Well, you watched the rest." He finally stopped talking and seemed tired.

"Exactly how long a distance did you run at a full sprint with Alyss?" Halt asked mildly.

Will had to think about it for a moment. "Perhaps three kilometers?... give or take."

Halt raised an eyebrow. "No wonder you two are exhausted. We need to get you both to a medic right away. Then we'll fully debrief you both later. For now, you two need some rest. And Will? Have the medics get the blood off your face. You look like some war hero who almost died but didn't."

"And is that really a bad thing? I would think it gives me the look of a fierce warrior." Will reached up and touched the dried blood caked to his face and grinned feebly.

"Well, it might look cool, but I bet it feels pretty bad," Horace chimed in, grinning right back.

Will seemed to look at him for the first time. "Horace? How in the blazes did you get here? I thought you were in Celtica!"

"Oh, I was, but then my wife sent me a letter telling me that you were having a little trouble up here in the north again, and I figured I should come help. After all, we made a pretty good team stopping these guys once before right? I figured we could do it again."

"Yes, that sounds good." Will smiled again as Halt helped him up and they made their way to the medic tent.

"So, you're telling me that you don't know if MacHaddish knows you're gone yet? Because those sentries that chased you never actually told the rest of the camp? Wow, you had some serious luck." Horace and Will were chatting in the medical tent. Earlier, Will and Alyss had both been brought in and thoroughly checked over by Halt and the King's own physician. Alyss had been given some sleeping medicine and some medicine to help her calm down, and generous amounts of water. Then she lay down on a cot and fell asleep instantly. Will's head was wiped off and cleaned up, then the healer unfortunately had to break his scabs and apply pain salve and herbs to make sure it didn't infect. Then they wrapped a bandage around his head and gave him some pain medicine. Will had a minor concussion and was exhausted, according to the doctor. So he also gave Will some medicine to relax him, but Will refused to take the sleeping medicine. He needed to be awake right now. He had gone over and sat on the edge of Alyss's cot, while she slept, and then Horace had walked in.

"Yes, that's right, Horace. Although I'm sure that he's figured it out by now. He probably sent someone to feed me and realized I was just a cloak over a rock... Quite a discovery. I wouldn't be surprised if that man was killed, whoever reported that I was missing." Will smiled slightly as Halt came in. "Hello, Halt. By the way, I need a cloak. Did you bring a spare?"

"Of course. I always bring an extra cloak because I always expect a fellow Ranger to lose theirs to cover a rock." Halt raised an eyebrow. "But yes, I do."

"Then do you mind if I borrow yours until I can get mine back or get a new one?"

"Yes, you can. Just don't drape this one on a rock."

Will smiled, and said slyly, "It wonder if your cloak might be a bit short on me... but I suppose it won't matter..."

Halt just scowled at him, and, surprisingly, completely changed the subject. "Will, you need to take that sleeping medicine."

"Halt, right now is not the right time to sleep. There are much more important things for me to be doing, like - "

"No, there isn't. We aren't going to debrief you until later, after Alyss wakes up. So you are burning the little energy you have left in your body. We can't have you passing out in the battle tomorrow, Will! You're concussed, remember?"

"Yes, Halt, it's a bit hard to forget that when you have a nasty headache and a huge bandaged head!"

"Anyway, Will,the only reason I came in here was to give you some food. Please eat this, just to humor me." Will rolled his eyes, but took the sandwich and glass of water. He took a bite of the sandwich and drank deeply from the water cup, and before he knew it he had finished it. "I think I need a bit more. I'll go get it..." Will started to get up, but Halt pushed him back down onto the bed.

"No, you stay here, I'll get it." Halt left the room, and Horace, bizarrely, began to snigger. Will looked at him, bewildered.

"What? What is it, Horace?"

"You just... oh, never mind. I'll let you figure it out for yourself."

"Figure what out for myself?"

"You'll see..." Horace went back to giggling in a very unmanly fashion. Will and Horace sat in an awkward silence, one that composed of Will glaring at Horace every time he giggled. Finally after about ten minutes, Halt returned with more water and gave it to Will, who took it gratefully and raised it to his lips to drink. Suddenly Will caught a whiff of something strong smelling... he smelled the glass again, and he recognized the smell. He furiously raised his eyes to Halt's, but he couldn't stifle the massive yawn that took over his face as he did so.

"Halt! How could you? You knew I was thirsty and you knew I would drink anything you gave me! I told you! I don't want to sleep right now! How much of that stuff did you give me?"

"Oh, just enough for a nice long and much needed nap." Halt grinned evilly. Horace burst out in full fledged laughter as Will swayed where he was sitting, his eyes falling half closed, his head drooping. Even Halt chuckled a little as he helped Will stand up and lurch over to another bed. Will laid down in it and stared up at Halt's blurry face.

"Sometimes I despise you..." Will murmured, but Halt and Horace just laughed even harder and then everything went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning at dawn, everyone at the camp were in their respective battle stations. The soldiers all formed up in ranks just in front of the camp. Crowley had ridden back to Araluen the day before to deliver news to most of the castle's staff. In front of them, standing in a long line was King Duncan, Cassandra, Halt, Will, Alyss, and Gilan. They all had their weapons ready and they were ready to fight. But as Halt had described last night at the briefing, there probably wouldn't be any fighting. Now that Will wasn't there, they didn't have their reassurance or safety of their ransom. But that they might still attack simply because it would affect their honor of they abandoned their mission now. So everyone was standing ready.

Will was excited for the coming action, but he wasn't really looking forward to seeing MacHaddish again. He felt a strange sense of lust for revenge. He knew it was a feeling he shouldn't have, but the fact that his head was bandaged helped him feel more angry inside. But he knew that killing MacHaddish wasn't going to solve his problem, it was destroying everything he had worked for a second time. He instinctively tightened his grip on his bow, his knuckles turning white.

Halt noticed, and leaned over and took the bow from Will's hand. "Will, we discussed this last night. Are you certain you want to do this? I know that this feels personal for you, and I don't want that to hinder your judgement - "

"Yes, Halt, we did discuss this, and I have already stated that it will not be a problem." Will almost snapped at Halt as he took his bow back, but resolved to keep a looser grip.

Halt raised both eyebrows but said nothing. He knew that nothing he could say would keep Will from doing this. Will had a personal goal, and he wasn't about to get in his way.

As both Will and Halt mulled over their thoughts, suddenly a sound began coming from the forest. It was a huge rumbling sound, and it eventually turned into the thump thump thump of a hundred feet stomping the ground in unison, and everyone knew the Scotti were coming. Will nervously plucked two arrows from his quiver and held them between the fingers of his right hand. He turned and noticed that Halt had done the same, and he smiled slightly in anticipation of the face off.

All at once, the army exploded from the trees. Long lines of men stepped out of the forest and , without even faltering, marched through the tall grass. But at a call from an officer, they all thundered to a stop just in front of the trees. Their number of about two hundred suddenly seemed very small compared to the five hundred plus men the Araluen war camp was housing. And they were all lined up in their armor, row after row, almost to show off their superior numbers. A small party of men, perhaps about ten, began to advance slowly towards the Araluen camp. They were too far away to see exactly who was coming, but it was impossible to miss the white flag the front-most man was hoisting into the air. "What? They think they are going to get a fair truce meeting after - " Will spluttered indignantly, but Halt stopped him.

"Yes, I'm afraid they do." Will fell silent, but was still angry inside. He reached up to touch his still throbbing head, and his anger swelled. He squinted out at the group coming towards them, and he recognized the one in the lead. It was the huge Scotti who had been patrolling the forest when Will had first arrived at the camp. He had nearly caught Will before he had even started. Adair, that was his name. And the figure walking behind him was impossible to miss. Half of his face was covered in blue paint, and his ball and chain was unmistakable. MacHaddish had come to work out, hopefully, surrender papers. But Will suspected, as did practically everyone else, that he had something else up his sleeves... if he had any. He wasn't exactly wearing a shirt. He was only wearing a kilt and a huge harness around his chest that held a huge broadsword across his back, along with tall boots and bracers and greavers. He had a helmet where half of it was painted blue.

Will reached up again and gently touched his head where MacHaddish had cut him. This time Horace noticed the action. "Will, are you sure you're alright? You seem to be touching your head a lot..."

"No, it's alright, Horace, I'm fine." Horace sensed the emotions broiling beneath the surface of Will's voice, and he decided not to push it, and he fell silent.

The truce party came up to about a hundred meters from the lines of men and stopped. Then MacHaddish's herald shouted out, "The great and mighty General MacHaddish wishes to discuss terms with the honorable King Duncan and whosoever joins him! He declares that when you give the signal he will advance to wherever you decide our two great nations will meet!" Then the herald stepped backward and silence settled over the camp.

Without hesitation, Duncan turned and called out to the troops, "Bring a tent out here, with some tables and chairs! Get some refreshments as well!" The soldiers behind immediately brought them out, and in just minutes the tent was set up. Duncan gestured to Cassandra, Halt, Will, Alyss, and Gilan to join him in the large tent. They all walked over and Duncan sat in the large chair at the head of the table, and Halt sat next to him on his right. Everyone else stood behind him, with Will standing just behind his right shoulder, near Halt. Then MacHaddish's party advanced and MacHaddish took his place at the opposite end of the table, with Adair behind him, and many of his advisors. As soon as MacHaddish was settled in his chair, he lifted his eyes and they looked around at all the faces at the other end of the table. He glanced at Duncan and Halt, and didn't even look at the others as his gaze settled on Will. Will met his eyes without hesitation. Halt noticed and saw that MacHaddish's eyes burned with pure, unbridled hatred and contempt on Will. His lip curled in a snarl and his brows lowered down until his eyes were shadowed heavily. Will's face was expressionless, but his eyes burned with anger and steel. Halt met Duncan's eyes and then Duncan began to speak. "So, General, I assume you have come to discuss a certain matter with us? Could you please specify what sort of matter this might be?"

After just a second more of glaring at Will, he finally broke eye contact and looked at Duncan. He finally spoke, acting as though he hadn't heard what Duncan had said. "I think that you assume that I have come to discuss surrender terms with you. But you have assumed wrong." His eyes switched to Halt. Halt met those horrible, dark eyes, but he could see in the gaze that MacHaddish didn't care about him, or Duncan, or anyone else in the tent. And sure enough, his gaze slid back to Will, and suddenly the hatred and contempt burned again. Duncan sensing the tension, said, "So then what, exactly, have you come to discuss?"

This time MacHaddish didn't even look at Duncan, and keeping his gaze fixed on Will, said, "I have come with a request... a request that you return my escaped prisoner to me immediately. Also, the one who helped him escape, he is also rightfully mine."

Now anger blossomed on Will's face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Duncan interrupted him, saying, "Unfortunately, we will not be complying with that request. Neither person shall be handed over to you willingly."

But surprisingly, MacHaddish, again, had stopped paying attention to Duncan again. His gaze was again glued to Will, but his eyebrows were raised slightly, his mouth open in what seemed to be surprise. "Well, I was not expecting that at all..." he murmured softly.

Duncan said, a little uncertainly, "What, you were not expecting us to reject your request?"

"No, no..." MacHaddish said, interrupting Duncan. "Ranger Will." He now addressed Will openly. "That person who helped you escape from my camp... Myself and my men all assumed that it was a man. But that woman next to you, she has the same color of hair and has almost identical features to the 'man' that my men reported seeing escape with you. What is she, a Courier? Ha, I know all about them. They are experts in disguise and deception. She could have very easily become a man to help you escape. I was not expecting it to be a woman, though." He laughed slightly at his last few words. Will glanced at Alyss, who shrugged, and then at the King for permission to speak, and Duncan gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"I hope you listened to my King, MacHaddish, because what he said was the truth." Will said. He hoped he sounded calm, because he was just barely holding his anger for this wretched man. "We are no longer your property. I escaped from your camp, and so did she, and we will not be going with you. You must be crazy if you think we would even consider it."

Halt looked at him, with sudden alarm on his face. What are you doing? asked his eyes.

Meanwhile, MacHaddish sighed heavily and began to glare at Will again, fuming at the insult. But he checked his temper just in time as got control of himself.

Will gave Halt a meaningful look, and then Halt said, "I wonder, Your Majesty, do you think that Will and I could go and talk privately for just a moment?" The King just looked at Will and Halt for a moment, and then nodded resignedly.

Will lead Halt away from the tent quickly until they were out of earshot. "Will! What are you doing? What are you thinking? Nothing beneficial comes from insulting him like that!" Halt scolded.

"No, Halt I'm insulting him because I have a plan!"

"A plan! A plan that includes driving him to violence?"

"Yes."

Halt looked at him, both eyebrows raised. "Are you sure that you only have a mild concussion? Because you are definitely not thinking clearly!"

Will rolled his eyes, and explained. "Halt, my head is fine. But I know about one of MacHaddish's weaknesses! He has a terrible temper, and has a lot of trouble controlling it! That's why he hit me, remember? I drove him over the edge. And that's what I'm trying to do here."

"What? So he can hit you again? Are you crazy - ohhhh..." Halt faded out for a second, and then everything clicked. "The truce rules."

Will smiled. "Yes. As soon as he pulls a weapon, he will have broken a serious truce rule and we can fight him. But since his army doesn't have any orders to attack, they won't, they'll get all confused, and we can kill or capture all of the officers, and then force them to surrender. Took you long enough to figure it out." He added grimly.

Halt nodded. "Let's hope it works."

They both walked back over to the tent, where everyone was waiting patiently, and Duncan said, "Now that we are all here, we shall resume." MacHaddish looked angry again, Will thought triumphantly. "Will you surrender to us? You have no other option."

"Oh, I have plenty of options. One of them is surrender, but there are much more appealing options that you could select, such as, give me back my prisoners." MacHaddish's face turned a little bit redder at those last few words.

"And we have already rejected that. That is no longer something you should even consider. I ask again, will you surrender?" Duncan pressed on, but before MacHaddish could reply, Will slid in.

"It's perfectly alright to feel ashamed, General. I would too if had to surrender." MacHaddish tightened both hands into a fist, but did not move.

"No. I wish to discuss a trade. I am willing to give you a lot of money for those two, or perhaps slaves, if you want them."

Again, Will put in a small comment. "It's sad that your tribe is so primitive as to still have slaves." MacHaddish slammed his fist onto the table, making the whole thing jump a foot in the air. He had begun to sweat, and he was shaking with rage.

"If you will not give me the woman, at least let me take Ranger Will. He was my prisoner, and he is still rightfully mine."

"I have told you. Absolutely not." King Duncan was starting to feel frustrated, Will could tell. He was angry at both MacHaddish, for continuing to press his useless trade, and for Will for insulting him.

But Will knew he had to keep going. So he muttered to Halt, softly, but just loud enough for the whole tent to hear, "Why is he still trying to convince His Majesty? Everyone knows his trade is ridiculous... well, except for him, I suppose." This was too much for MacHaddish. He rose from his seat violently, upsetting his chair and lunging across the table cursing violently at Will. His men behind him dragged him back into his chair, struggling to pull him back as he threw his hands and arms and torso and anything he could grab at Will. But Will just watched all of this calmly, with no expression on his face. Finally MacHaddish was back in his seat, but he was breathing heavily, and sweat was pouring down his face, his whole body was shaking with anger. His face burned tomato red and his lip was now curled into a permanent snarl and his eyes were little black slits of anger. Will knew this look. He gave a tiny nod to Halt, and now Halt new that MacHaddish had reached his limit. One more thing, and he would explode. But just as Will was preparing another jibe, Halt stopped him with a small shake of his head. Will raised his eyebrows in question, and Halt gave him an 'I've got this one' look. So Will let him speak the last and final insult.

"Will, you're right. He really does smell up close."

That was it. MacHaddish exploded, not at Halt, but at Will. He shoved his chair back from the table, and yanked out his ball and chain, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Ranger Will Treaty! Do you see this ball and chain?" He thrust it into the air violently, and a lot of his men ducked as it flailed around dangerously. "It still has your blood on it! And it will get all of it now!" He shoved the table a side and advanced quickly to the other end, where Duncan has gotten up and backed up with Cassandra and Alyss. Halt stood in front of Will his bow out and at half draw. Will behind him had his two knives out, but his bow was also ready. Gilan had backed up a few steps and had his bow out and at full draw, pointed at MacHaddish.

Everyone was about to fire on the advancing and very, very angry MacHaddish when Will cried out, "Stop! Everyone stop!" Everyone froze, even MacHaddish. Will slid past Halt and stood facing MacHaddish, "Look, MacHaddish, look around you. Do you see any sense in this situation at all?"

"I don't have to listen to you! I want to kill you!" MacHaddish began to run towards Will again, but Will pulled up his bow and it reached full draw, aimed straight for MacHaddish's face. MacHaddish froze.

"Yes, you will listen to me, because if you don't, I'll shoot you where you stand." MacHaddish knew how fast Will could shoot. He knew he could never dodge an arrow at such a point blank range of 7 feet. So he stopped.

"What do you want to say now? Another insult? Another mocking word?"

"No, actually, quite the opposite. I am going to give you a choice." Will thought about it for a moment. "Either you can surrender now, or fight us, lose most of your men, and then surrender by force or die. It's your choice. Pick one, I don't care which."

MacHaddish grinned evilly at Will. "Isn't it obvious?" And then he attacked. All at once a battle broke out in the tent. Duncan, in the back of the tent, pulled out his sword and thrust at anything that came near him, while protecting Alyss, who was ready with her saber, and Cassandra, who was pelting enemies with lead shot from her sling. Gilan began to shoot at the men who were with MacHaddish, and Halt was engaged in an epic knife verses ball and chain battle with Adair. But Will was against MacHaddish, which he had been expecting all along. Will was ready for his first wild swing of the ball, and he ducked sooner this time, and the ball passed harmlessly over his head. Then he pivoted and landed a good punch with the butt of his knife in his gut. MacHaddish grunted and backed away a few steps. Then, in a rage that Will had hit him so soon into the battle, he threw his ball and chain at Will. Will dropped flat to the ground as the weapon passed over him again. It didn't scratch his skin, but it ripped three very long and jagged gashes into his cloak, rather, Halt's cloak. So much for giving this one back to him, Will thought. He jumped to his feet just as MacHaddish swung his broadsword for Will's head. Will leapt nimbly out of the way and raked his knife along MacHaddish's shoulder, opening a shallow cut. It wasn't more than a scratch, but it was a start. After that, MacHaddish fired a rapid series of blows with his broadsword at Will. His two knife defense barely blocked each attack, but Will still wasn't a very good knife fighter, and MacHaddish managed to nick Will's wrist with his sword tip. It was small, but deep, and it bled on Will's hand and made his grip slippery. Finally Will gave up on that defense and decided to end it. He thrust MacHaddish back with one huge push, dropped both knives back into their scabbards, and pulled out his bow and a few arrows, and stuck the points straight into MacHaddish's face. MacHaddish froze. Will froze. And all was quiet for a moment except for both men's breathing. Will glanced around for a second and noticed that Halt and the others had stopped fighting. They had either killed, wounded, or subdued all of MacHaddish's men, and Adair lay dead at Halt's feet. They had all backed up to let Will finish off MacHaddish. They all watched them now.

Will spoke first. "MacHaddish, I suggest you surrender now, for the sake of your men. You have no where left to run. Even if I don't end up finishing you off, I'm sure that there are plenty of people here who would like to themselves. So, I ask you again, will you surrender?"

MacHaddish just scowled and said, "Never." And that was the last word he ever spoke. Will fired one arrow, but MacHaddish had been expecting it. He put his arms over his chest and the arrow struck the fleshy part of his left arm, and even though he was wounded, he grinned in triumph. He had survived Will's killing blow! What he didn't expect was the throwing knife that Will had thrown in an easy underhand toss straight for his heart. It thunked into his chest and sank in deeply, blood already welling around it. MacHaddish looked up at Will, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish, and then he fell back, dead before he hit the ground. A look of surprise would forever be plastered to his dead, pale, waxy face.

Will stood over his body for a few seconds in silence, catching his breath. Then he leaned down, and yanked his knife out his chest. He wiped it off on his cloak, and walked slowly back through the crowd, rubbing his head as he headed back towards the camp. Everyone began to murmur all at once, and it slowly grew to a rumble as every soldier in the camp began to tell their friends what they had just witnessed. Halt just sighed with relief. Horace looked at him curiously. "What is it, Halt?"

"Every time that sword or ball and chain came anywhere near Will, I had this distinct feeling Will was dodging too late, but then it would pass over him. Every time. I swear I thought he was going to die about twenty times." Halt sounded exasperated, but Horace knew he was relieved.

"I know, Halt. I felt that way too. But I guess we just got to trust Will. He's never let us down yet."

Halt smiled. "And he never will."


	5. Chapter 5

The Araluen war party had almost made it to Redmont in about 5 days. After the final battle with MacHaddish and his men in the tent, Halt and Duncan rode out to MacHaddish's now stranded and confused party of men gathered on the other side of the plains and told them to leave and never return, and that Will had killed MacHaddish. After hearing this, all the men turned and ran into the forest, like a dog with their tails between their legs. After that, Halt and Duncan sent some of the men went over to what remained of the Scotti war camp and burned it all up. Then they had packed up their camp and began to move their way slowly back to Redmont and Araluen. Now they were only perhaps a few hours from Redmont.

"So, Will, how do you feel now? You held off another invasion from these same people and managed to single-handedly kill their leader. Now everyone in the army is talking about it. I heard some men talking about it yesterday, and you would not believe how heroic you were! But of course, you must be in terrible pain." Horace said with a grin on his face.

He and Gilan had been teasing Will all the way home about his head and hand. During his fight with MacHaddish, his wrist had been nicked by the sword and bled heavily. A doctor had bandaged it up even though Will had protested strongly, and now they never let him forget it, Halt less so than the other two. He had been wounded in a similar fashion sometime ago, and he had more pity, or rather, self-control.

Before Will could respond to Horace, Gilan put in, "Yes, it's all very well and good, but is your head troubling you? Or perhaps you hand? Both were sliced open rather dramatically." Gilan had a very good poker face, but his eyes glittered with laughter as Will turned in the saddle and glared at him.

"No, Gilan, I'm fine. It wasn't dramatic." His answers to these sallys had gotten shorter and shorter as his irritation grew and his dignity shrank.

Horace couldn't resist. "Oh, but it was very dramatic. First you come sprinting into our camp with blood all over you face. Then you fight in a heroic battle with a very handsome looking head bandage and then you make it to the end without dropping your knife because there's blood all over your hand! On the contrary, it was extremely dramatic." He reached out in mock concern and grabbed Will's wrist and yanked back his sleeve to reveal the bandage. Will wrenched his arm back and pulled the sleeve back down.

"Well, it wasn't my fault that it was that way. In fact, you two are the only ones making this all a big deal." But of course, as soon as Will said that, Alyss rode up behind him. She had been back riding with Cassandra for a while. They were, after all, the only two females in the camp, and they had been sticking together, but she occasionally came up to see Will.

She rode up beside him. "Hello, Will." When he turned towards her, he still had a light of irritation in his eyes, and his face was tight looking. But Horace and Gilan had been very careful with their teasing. They knew that if they teased Will in front of Alyss, she might get angry at them, and they didn't want to deal with it. So they had immediately stopped as soon as Alyss has rode up next to him. Alyss interpreted Will's irritation in a completely different way. She looked alarmed at Will's expression. "Will, are you alright? Are you in pain?"

At these words Will actually groaned and muttered through clenched teeth, "I'm perfectly fine. I do not need to be checked on every few minutes."

"Alyss, I think he does actually need something. He's been grabbing his head and kind of moaning occasionally. And he says his wrist is throbbing." Horace poked in, desperately holding back a huge grin. Alyss looked worriedly at Will.

"Thanks, Horace. I'll go talk to the doctors." She quickly turned her horse around and galloped off. Will whirled sharply in his saddle and gave Horace his most steely glare from underneath his cowl. He had been wearing it up a lot to hide his head and face. They both drew attention, his bandage just encouraged more teasing from Horace and Gilan, and his face made him get swarmed by soldiers who wanted to see him to see if all the rumors were true. All in all, he had just decided to keep up his hood to protect both himself and his dignity.

"Horace, Gilan, one more word from either of you about my health, which is perfectly fine, and you won't be able to say anything, courtesy of me." With that, he wheeled Tug around and rode off towards the middle of the party. They had been leading the way, but Will had had enough, so he went off to finish the journey with Alyss, Cassandra, Halt, and Duncan, who were certain have a least a little more pity, or at least the intelligence not to say a word about it.

As Will trotted through the ranks of men on Tug, the men turned to look at him, and when someone recognized him, they all began to shout, "Will! Ranger Will! Will Treaty!" He kicked Tug into a gallop and got out of there before they could all cluster around him and trap him. He came thundering towards the small party that was the back of the train of men, and he slid to a stop next to Halt, who looked up startled at his sudden appearance.

"In a hurry?" he asked. Cassandra leaned around Halt and said, "Oh, he's just avoiding the soldiers."

"Oh... I see." Halt fell silent and said nothing.

"Oh, hello Will." Duncan greeted him with a smile from Cassandra's other side.

"Good afternoon, sir. Do you mind if I ride with you and Cassandra and Halt?"

"Of course not. A pleasure to be in your extremely famous presence. The men just can't stopping spreading rumors. I've heard quite few theories about you." Will couldn't resist just a hint of a glare as he looked at the King. He noticed, and said, "Oh, I see. You've already had plenty of that from... Horace and Gilan, I would assume? I apologize, I'll leave that job to them."

"Thank you, sir," Will said gratefully. "I had been riding with them, but... well, let's just say they seem to have lost all respect for me. But I dealt with them, for the time being."

Halt raised an eyebrow at this. "Dealt with them?"

"Yes." Will said tightly, and closed the topic of conversation with that last word.

"Men! Take a break! Be seated and eat something. This will be our last break before we reach Redmont!" Duncan called out. Immediately the men stopped moving and sat down to rest.

Alyss rode up. She had returned from the doctor. "Oh, there you are, Will. I went up to the front, but you weren't there. Gilan and Horace had said that you had gone back here because you had a headache and needed some quiet time. I brought some pain medicine from the doctor. He says that you should come to get your head checked soon, because it might be healed enough to remove the bandage now."

Will sighed, exasperated, and said, "Alyss, listen. Those two idiots up there are taking every opportunity to make fun of me right now. Everything they've said to you about my head is completely false. They are using you to drive me crazy without you even knowing it - wait, what? They're going to take my bandage off? Get out of the way, I'm going now!" He nudged Tug and he unceremoniously shouldered aside both Abelard and Alyss's horse and trotted over to the small group of medics that were resting together. He spoke to them for a moment and then they went inside a small tent they had set up for the break.

Alyss watched all of this, and as soon as he was out of earshot, she began to laugh. Halt looked at her. "What?"

Alyss just laughed harder. "I - I just, it's just so funny to watch his reaction to Gilan and Horace! He has no idea that I know exactly what's going on! He thinks I'm on his side!" With that, she laughed even harder.

Even Halt smiled. "I see. Now that is perhaps the funniest way to tease someone. But I have to say, it's not a very wife-ish thing to do..." But he stopped when he saw Alyss's expression.

"Halt, are you telling me that Pauline has never done this to you?"

Halt's grin disappeared and he muttered, "Never mind." Now even Cassandra and Duncan laughed with Alyss.

After about ten minutes Will rode over again. His cowl was still up, but as he came over, Alyss could see he had a small grin on now. "What does it look like? Do you have scars?" Alyss asked.

Will smiled. "No, the doctor says that once the scabs fall off I'll have small ones, and then they'll fade out eventually. "

"Can I see?" Alyss asked. Will lowered his eyebrows and gave her a look.

"Not if you're going to make fun of it."

"What? I wouldn't."

"Never mind. No one can see it." Will said, some irritation creeping into his voice.

"What? But why?" Alyss asked. She had been looking forward to seeing his scars.

"Because I'm not deaf." Then he turned away from her.

Alyss turned to Halt. "I think he heard me."

"You think?" Halt said incredulously, raising both eyebrows for once.

"Not deaf!" Will called over to them. Halt and Alyss both smiled.

They glimpsed Redmont Castle within the hour. The army themselves continued on to Araluen, and Duncan, Cassandra, Gilan, and Horace all rode in just to say goodbye to Halt, Will, and Alyss. Duncan formally shook Will's hand, and said, "Will, I don't know how many times I've said thank you to you, but I'll add another to the list. On behalf of the Kingdom, thank you."

"Anytime, sir." Will grasped his hand firmly, and then came Cassandra. She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a hug, and thanked him as well. "Look out for Horace. You'll never know what he'll get into."

Cassandra smiled. "Of course, Will. I'll see you soon."

Then Gilan slapped his back a few times, saying, "Well, I'm off to Norgate. I'll see you at the Gathering, alright? Oh, and make sure to stop by the doctor. You wouldn't want your hand to infect."

Will rolled his eyes. "See you, Gilan, " and Gilan walked back to Blaze, laughing silently.

Horace gave him a hug and slapped his back. "Well, we did it again. Rather, you did it again. Next time, let me help a little."

"Hopefully there won't be a next time, Horace, but if there is, I'll come and get you."

"You'd better. How's your head? Heard you got your bandage off."

"It's fine. Quit asking about it."

"Can I see i - "

"No."

Horace put up his hands in a gesture of defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll see you if I ever come around this way. Bye!"

"Bye, Horace." He mounted Kicker and rode off towards Araluen with Duncan and Cassandra, and Gilan went towards the north again, headed for Norgate.

Will turned to Alyss. "Want to go back to the cabin?"

"Of course. We both need a nice long rest."

"Oh, and Halt! Before you go, I'll be around the castle tomorrow. I need a new cloak. Would you like yours back?" He slung off the cloak and handed it sheepishly to him. "It got a bit torn up."

Halt raised both eyebrows for once. "A bit? You call this a bit torn up? This is shredded! I don't want it back, you can burn it for all I care." He tossed it back to Will.

Will shrugged. "So be it." He slung it over his shoulder. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Possibly. If I decide to get out of bed. I have a feeling I'll be very sore."

Will smiled. "Alright. Tomorrow after lunch then." Then he turned Tug around and he and Alyss rode up the forest path to the small cabin in the woods.

Later that evening, Will and Alyss were sitting by the fire on the veranda with blankets, looking out at the stars. They had been sitting, silently digesting the stew they had had for dinner, when Alyss spoke up suddenly. "You know, Will, I've been thinking. I've never actually gone on a mission with you where it's just been me and you, until now. Well, I guess we did get Ebony back from the Roamers, but that wasn't really a mission. I thought it was rather nice, I should go with you more often."

"Well, you can come with me only if I'm going to need saving," Will said. "And only if I know for certain it won't be too dangerous."

"I just proved that I can deal with dangerous. So take me with you next time you need a companion."

"I'll try, but a lot of the missions assigned to me are either with Halt or Horace or both, because I'm in the special task group. And a lot of my missions require me to separate from my 'companion', and go out alone to gather information. That would be hard to do with you, because it would be hard to leave you alone."

"Oh, come on! Just agree already!"

"Fine. When the opportunity arises, I will ask Halt and Crowley if you can come with me."

"Yes! Thanks, Will!" She leaned over and kissed him gently, and he kissed her back.

He leaned away from her and said, "Alyss, I've also been thinking... about where we should live." He swallowed, a little nervous at what her reaction. "I, well, I talked to Crowley, and he said that, basically, one Ranger, by tradition, has to live in the cabin outside of the castle. And since Halt got married first, he got the choice to live in the cabin versus the castle. And he chose the castle, which leaves me no choice but to live here. I know it's not the castle, but - "

"Oh, Will, no it's perfect!"

Will floundered to a stop and stared at her, wide eyed. "What?"

Alyss smiled a little. "Will... all I need is right here. I don't need the luxuries of the castle to be happy. Everything I need to be happy is right here. All I need is you! I don't care where we live, so long as it's with you. Well, with you and your cooking." He laughed at this.

"Well, it's good to know that you like my cooking. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm completely certain."

"Because, I could have the carpenter come and make our cabin a bit larger, if you like - "

"Will, stop." She put her finger to his lips. "I love this cabin. Everything out here is so beautiful and clean and green. I love it. Nothing needs to change. Absolutely nothing."

Will smiled. "Good." And they both fell asleep on the veranda, watching the moon rise over the star-covered sky.

THE END


End file.
